Display device and driving method thereof

ABSTRACT

A display device includes: a display unit including scan lines, data lines, unit areas corresponding to intersections of the scan lines and the data lines, the unit areas including first unit areas in an effective display area, second unit areas in a dummy area around the effective display area, some of the second unit areas being smaller than the first unit areas, and pixels in the first unit areas; a timing controller configured to receive first data including image data corresponding to the first and second unit areas and to convert the first data into second data corresponding to the effective display area; and a data driver configured to generate a data signal corresponding to the second data. The display unit includes a first horizontal line having fewer pixels than the number of the data lines.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No.10-2016-0102284 filed on Aug. 11, 2016 in the Korean IntellectualProperty Office, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated byreference herein.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

An aspect of the present disclosure relates generally to displaydevices, and more specifically to a display device and a driving methodthereof.

2. Description of the Related Art

Recently, as the application scope of display devices has broadened,display devices have been more widely applied to various types ofelectronic devices. Accordingly, demand for display devices havingvarious shapes has increased with the need to fit various types ofelectronic devices.

SUMMARY

Embodiments provide a display device and a driving method thereof, forthe more effective display of images corresponding to the shape of anon-square or non-rectangular effective display area, thereby reducingpower consumption.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided adisplay device including: a display unit including scan lines, datalines, unit areas corresponding to intersections of the scan lines andthe data lines, the unit areas including first unit areas in aneffective display area, second unit areas in a dummy area around theeffective display area, some of the second unit areas being smaller thanthe first unit areas, and pixels in the first unit areas; a timingcontroller configured to receive first data including image datacorresponding to the first and second unit areas, the timing controllerfurther configured to convert the first data into second data,corresponding to the effective display area, and to output the seconddata; and a data driver configured to generate a data signal thatcorresponds to the second data, and to supply the data signal to thedata lines. The display unit includes a first horizontal line havingfewer pixels than the number of the data lines. During a firsthorizontal period corresponding to the first horizontal line, the datasignal that corresponds to the second data is applied to data linesconnected to the pixels of the first horizontal line, and apredetermined first voltage is applied to the other data lines.

At least some of the scan lines and data lines, which are arranged inthe dummy area, may have bent portions that extend in nonlinear mannerto correspond to an edge of the effective display area.

The display unit may include a plurality of dummy areas positioned withthe effective display area interposed therebetween.

The timing controller may include: a memory configured to store positioninformation of the pixels; and a data converter configured to convertthe first data into the second data with reference to the positioninformation stored in the memory.

The data converter may generate second line data corresponding to eachhorizontal line by: extracting first line data corresponding to eachhorizontal line of the display unit from the first data, arranging thefirst line data in an order corresponding to the positions of the pixelsof the each horizontal line, and arranging predetermined data atpositions corresponding to second unit areas of the each horizontalline, the predetermined data corresponding to the first voltage.

The data converter may generate the second data by: extracting effectivedata corresponding to the first unit areas from the first data,arranging the effective data at data positions corresponding to thefirst unit areas, and arranging predetermined data at data positionscorresponding to the second unit areas, the predetermined datacorresponding to the first voltage.

The timing controller may transmit, to the data driver, channelinformation comprising, for each of the horizontal lines included in thedisplay unit, a position at which the effective display area begins anda point at which the effective display area ends.

The display unit may further include a second horizontal line having anumber of the pixels equal to the number of the data lines.

The display unit may include at least three horizontal lines each havinga number of pixels different from those of each of the others of the atleast three horizontal lines.

The first voltage may be a lowest voltage of gray level voltagesgenerated by the data driver.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided adisplay device including: a data driver including M (where M is anatural number greater than or equal to 2) channels connected to M datalines; and a display unit including a first horizontal line having I(where I is a natural number smaller than M) pixels. During a period inwhich a data signal corresponding to the first horizontal line issupplied to the data lines, the data driver is configured to output adata signal corresponding to an image through I channels correspondingto the I pixels, and is further configured to output a data signalhaving a predetermined first voltage through the remaining channels.

The first voltage may be a lowest voltage from among gray level voltagesgenerated by the data driver.

The display unit may further include a second horizontal line having Mpixels.

During a period in which a data signal corresponding to the secondhorizontal line is supplied to the data lines, the data driver may befurther configured to output a data signal corresponding to the imagethrough the M channels.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided amethod of driving a display device including a display unit having aplurality of scan lines, a plurality of data lines, and a firsthorizontal line on which are arranged a number of pixels that is smallerthan the number of the data lines. The method includes: receiving firstdata including image data for every unit area that corresponds to anintersection of the scan lines and the data lines; extracting first linedata corresponding to the first horizontal line from the first data;generating second line data corresponding to the first horizontal lineby replacing, with predetermined data, all remaining first line databesides that corresponding to the pixels of the first horizontal line;outputting the second line data to a data driver; generating a datasignal corresponding to the second line data; and driving the pixels ofthe first horizontal line by supplying the data signal to the datalines.

The predetermined data may be digital data corresponding to apredetermined first voltage.

The first voltage may be a lowest voltage from among gray level voltagesof the display unit.

The method may further include, before the outputting, transmitting, tothe data driver, position information of the effective display areacorresponding to the first horizontal line.

The position information may include channel information correspondingto a point on the first horizontal line at which the effective displayarea begins, and to a point on the first horizontal line at which theeffective display area ends.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided amethod for driving a display device including a display unit having scanlines, data lines, first unit areas in an effective display area andcorresponding to intersections of the scan lines and the data lines, andsecond unit areas in a dummy area around the effective display area. Themethod includes: receiving first data including image data for all ofthe first and second unit areas; generating second data by readingeffective data, the effective data being that first data correspondingto the first unit areas, and by replacing the remaining first databesides the effective data with predetermined data; generating, from thesecond data, line data corresponding to each horizontal line of theeffective display area; and driving pixels on each horizontal line usingthe line data.

The predetermined data may be digital data corresponding to apredetermined first voltage.

The first voltage may be a lowest voltage from among gray level voltagesof the display unit.

The method may further include transmitting position information of theeffective display area to a data driver.

The position information of the effective display area may includechannel information corresponding to a point at which the effectivedisplay area begins on each horizontal line, and channel informationcorresponding to a point at which the effective display area ends oneach horizontal line.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Example embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings; however, they may be embodied indifferent forms and should not be construed as limited to theembodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided sothat this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fullyconvey the scope of the example embodiments to those skilled in the art.

In the drawing figures, dimensions may be exaggerated for clarity ofillustration. The various figures thus may not be to scale. It will beunderstood that when an element is referred to as being “between” twoelements, it can be the only element between the two elements, or one ormore intervening elements may also be present. Like reference numeralsrefer to like elements throughout.

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a display device.

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate other embodiments of a display device.

FIGS. 3A to 3C schematically illustrate embodiments of a display unitand a driving circuit connected thereto.

FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of a timing controller.

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate an embodiment of a data conversion method ofthe timing controller.

FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of a driving signal for one frame,transmitted from the timing controller to a data driver.

FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of a method for transmitting channelinformation on an effective display area.

FIG. 8 illustrates an embodiment of the data driver.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will bedescribed in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.However, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments butmay be implemented into different forms. These embodiments are providedonly for illustrative purposes and for full understanding of the scopeof the present disclosure by those skilled in the art.

Meanwhile, in the following embodiments and the attached drawings,elements not directly related to the present disclosure are omitted fromdepiction, and dimensional relationships among individual elements inthe attached drawings are illustrated only for ease of understanding butnot to limit the actual scale. It should note that in giving referencenumerals to elements of each drawing, like reference numerals refer tolike elements even though like elements are shown in different drawings.All numerical values are approximate, and may vary. All examples ofspecific materials and compositions are to be taken as nonlimiting andexemplary only. Other suitable materials and compositions may be usedinstead.

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a display device. In addition toactual lines, e.g., scan lines and data lines, dotted virtual lines arepresented for purposes of illustration.

Referring to FIG. 1, the display device according to the embodiment ofthe present disclosure includes a system 100, a timing controller 200, ascan driver 300, a data driver 400, and a display unit 500. In someembodiments, the display unit 500 may be implemented as a display panel.The display unit 500 includes an effective display area 510 which may beimplemented in various shapes. For example, the effective display area510 may have a circular shape, an elliptical shape, etc. or a polygonalshape including a trapezoidal shape, a hexagonal shape, etc., or mayhave a shape including any combination of any of the above shapes. Thatis, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the shape of theeffective display area 510 is not particularly limited, and may bevariously modified. Indeed, any shape is contemplated.

The system 100 may be a source unit that transmits various controlsignals CS for driving the display unit 500, and also transmits imagedata (hereinafter, referred to as “first data”) Data 1. For example, thesystem 100 may be a main body of a notebook computer including a graphiccard, or an application processor of a mobile device. The controlsignals CS and the image data Data1 output from the system 100 are inputto the timing controller 200.

The timing controller 200 generates a scan control signal SCS and a datacontrol signal DCS in response to the control signals CS from the system100, and transmits the scan control signal SCS and the data controlsignal DCS to the scan driver 300 and the data driver 400, respectively.Also, the timing controller 200 realigns the first data Data1 from thesystem 100 and transmits the first data Data1 to the data driver 400.Particularly, in this embodiment, the timing controller 200 generates asecond data Data2 by converting the first data Data1 to correspond tothe effective display area 510 in which an image is actually displayed,and transmits the second data Data2 to the data driver 400.

The scan driver 300 generates a scan signal in response to the scancontrol signal SCS supplied from the timing controller 200, and suppliesthe generated scan signal to scan lines S1 to SN. For example, the scandriver 300 may sequentially supply the scan signal to the scan lines S1to SN in response to the scan control signal SCS. When the scan signalis supplied to the scan lines S1 to SN, pixels 514 arranged in theeffective display area are selected in units of horizontal lines.

In some embodiments, the scan driver 300 may be implemented as abuilt-in circuit directly formed together with transistors (not shown)provided in the pixels 514 on the display panel, or may be mounted inthe form of a semiconductor chip on the display panel or a circuit boardconnected thereto. When the scan driver 300 is implemented as a built-incircuit on the display panel, manufacturing cost may be reduced.Meanwhile, when the scan driver 300 is mounted in the form of thesemiconductor chip, various programming may be performed, and thus thedriving method of the scan driver 300 may be diversified.

The data driver 400 generates a data signal using the data controlsignal DCS and the second data Data2, which are supplied from the timingcontroller 200, and supplies the generated data signal to data lines D1to DM to be synchronized with the scan signal. The data signal suppliedto the data lines D1 to DM is supplied to pixels 514 selected by thescan signal.

In some embodiments, the data driver 400 may be individually mounted,for example, in the form of a semiconductor chip on the display panel ora circuit board connected thereto. Alternatively, in some embodiments,the data driver 400 may be integrated with other driving circuitsincluding the scan driver 300.

The display unit 500 includes a plurality of scan lines S1 to SN, aplurality of data lines D1 to DM, and a plurality of unit areas 512 and522 corresponding to intersections of the scan lines S1 to SN and thedata lines D1 to DM. For example, the display unit 500 may include N (Nis a natural number of 2 or more) scan lines S1 to SN, M (M is a naturalnumber of 2 or more) data lines D1 to DM, and a plurality of unit areas512 and 522 arranged in the form of an N*M matrix corresponding tointersections of the N scan lines S1 to SN and the M data lines D1 toDM. Each of the unit areas 512 and 522 may be arranged at a positioncorresponding to the coordinates defined by a corresponding scan lineand a corresponding data line. In some embodiments, the number of scanlines S1 to SN and the number of data lines D1 to DM arranged in thedisplay unit 500 is not particularly limited, and each may vary.

The display unit 500 includes the effective display area 510 and a dummyarea 520. In some embodiments, the effective display area 510 may beconfigured with first unit areas 512 in which the respective pixels 514are arranged, and the dummy area 520 may be configured with second unitareas 522 arranged at peripheral portions (e.g., outer portions) of theeffective display area 510.

When a scan signal is supplied from the scan lines S1 to SN, each of thepixels 514 receives a data signal from the data lines D1 to DM, andemits light with a luminance corresponding to the data signal. In someembodiments, the pixels 514 may be implemented as pixels of an organiclight emitting display device, or may be implemented as pixels of aliquid crystal display device. However, in the embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the type of the pixels 514 is not particularly limited.

In some embodiments, the pixels 514 are not present in the second unitareas 522. That is, the dummy area 520 may be a non-effective displayarea in which no image is displayed.

In some embodiments, the display unit 500 may include at least twohorizontal lines having different numbers of pixels 514. For example,the display unit 500 may include a first horizontal line 532 on which I(I is a natural number smaller than M) pixels 514 are arranged, and asecond horizontal line 534 on which M pixels 514 are arranged. Here, thefirst horizontal line 532 does not necessarily refer to only a first rowof the display unit 500. For example, the first horizontal line 532 mayrefer to an arbitrary horizontal line having a number of pixels smallerthan the number of the data lines D1 to DM. Similarly, the secondhorizontal line 534 may refer to an arbitrary horizontal line on which Mpixels 514 are arranged, i.e., an arbitrary horizontal line on which amaximum number of pixels 514 is arranged.

In some embodiments, the display unit 500 may include at least threehorizontal lines including pixels having numbers different from oneanother. For example, the number of pixels 514 included in each of thehorizontal lines 532 and 534 may increase or decrease with distance fromone end of the display unit 500.

That is, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the number ofpixels 514 arranged in the effective display area 510 may vary dependingon the shape of the effective display area 510.

In the display device described above, the display unit 500 includesfewer pixels 514 than the total number of intersections of the scanlines S1 to SN and the data lines D1 to DM. In the display device, thetiming controller 200 receives first data Data1 including image datacorresponding to the respective unit areas 512 and 522. That is, thesystem 100 generates frame data (first data Data1) including image datacorresponding to all the respective unit areas 512 and 522 defined bythe scan lines S1 to SN and the data lines D1 to DM, regardless of theshape of the effective display area 510 and/or the number andarrangement structure of actual pixels 514, and transmits this framedata to the timing controller 200.

In some embodiments, the timing controller 200 converts first data Data1into second data Data2, corresponding to the number of pixels 514arranged on each horizontal line of the display unit 500, and outputsthe second data Data2 to the data driver 400. For example, when thetiming controller 200 generates line data for one horizontal line, thetiming controller 200 may arrange image data corresponding to each offirst unit areas 512 in which actual pixels 514 are arranged. Also, thetiming controller 200 may omit signal processing for image datacorresponding to each of second unit areas 522 of the dummy area 520,and collectively replace the image data of the second unit areas 522with predetermined specific data, thereby arranging the predeterminedspecific data at a data position (sequence) corresponding to thecorresponding second unit area 522. Through above-described process, thetiming controller 200 generates second data Data2 including therespective line data, and outputs the second data Data2 to the datadriver 400.

That is, the timing controller 200 extracts only effective datacorresponding to the effective display area 510 from input data (i.e.,first data Data1) meant for display on a quadrangular matrix, andtransmits the effective data to the data driver 400. In addition, thetiming controller 200 omits signal processing for dummy datacorresponding to the dummy area 520 and collectively arranges specificdata at positions of the dummy data, thereby transmitting the specificdata to the data driver 400. Accordingly, the timing controller 200 mayreduce power consumption. Further, line data corresponding to the numberof channels of the data driver 400 for each horizontal line is suppliedto the data driver 400, so that the data driver 400 may be normallydriven.

The data driver 400 receiving second data Data2 generates a data signalcorresponding to the second data Data2, and outputs the generated datasignal to the data lines D1 to DM. In some embodiments, according to theactual positions of the pixels 514, the data driver 400 receiveseffective data corresponding to a gray level to be displayed in acorresponding pixel 514 of the first unit areas 512, and collectivelyreceives specific data with respect to the second unit areas 522 of thedummy area 520.

Accordingly, the data driver 400 supplies a data signal of acorresponding pixel 514 (e.g., a gray level voltage generatedcorresponding to gray level data of the corresponding pixel 514) to datalines connected to the pixels 514. In addition, the data driver 400supplies a predetermined first voltage to the other data lines that arenot connected to pixels 514 on the corresponding horizontal line,corresponding to specific data from the timing controller 200.

In some embodiments, the first voltage may be the lowest gray levelvoltage (e.g., black or white gray level voltage) generated by the datadriver 400. In this case, the power consumption of the data driver 400may be reduced.

As described above, according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure, in driving of a display device with an effective displayarea 510 different from a standardized shape such as a rectangle orsquare, data may be transmitted corresponding to the shape of theeffective display area 510. Accordingly, power consumed in a drivingcircuit including the timing controller 200 and/or the data driver 400is reduced, so that the power consumption of the display device may beeffectively reduced.

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate other embodiments of a display device. InFIGS. 2A and 2B, components identical or similar to those of FIG. 1 aredesignated by like reference numerals, and their detailed descriptionswill be omitted.

Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, in some embodiments, at least some of thescan lines S1 to SN and the data lines D1 to DN may have bending or bentportions corresponding to the shape of an effective display area 510.Here, the bending portions may inclusively mean any nonlinear portions,such as curved or rounded portions.

For example, when the effective display area 510 has a circular shape,and a display unit 500 is a circular display panel corresponding to theshape of the effective display area 510, at least some of the scan linesS1 to SN and the data lines D1 to DM may be formed such that at leastone area of each line has a bending portion that is curved according tothe shape of the display unit 500.

In some embodiments, at least some of the scan lines S1 to SN and thedata lines D1 to DM may be more densely arranged at least in a dummyregion 520. In this case, each of at least some of the second unit areas522 may have areas smaller than those of first unit areas 512.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2A, each of the second unit areas 522 mayhave a smaller area than each of the first unit areas 512. In this case,the individual areas of the second unit areas 522 may decrease withdistance from the effective display area 510. However, the presentdisclosure is not limited thereto, and the shape or arrangement densityof the scan lines S1 to SN and the data lines D1 to DM may be variouslymodified.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2B, the scan lines S1 to SN andthe data lines D1 to DM may be arranged with their nonlinear portionspositioned close to the effective display area 510 so as to be moredensely arranged near the display area 510. For example, at least someof the scan lines S1 to SN and the data lines D1 to DM, may be denselyarranged in the dummy area 520 near the effective display area 510,while being bent corresponding to (i.e. curved to extend conformallyalong the outer edge of) the outline of the effective display area 510.In this case, the area of each of the second unit areas 522 isminimized, thereby more effectively reducing dead spaces. The shape,etc. of the second unit areas 522 is not particularly limited, and maybe variously modified.

In addition, according to the shapes of the display unit 500 and theeffective display area 510, at least some of the scan lines S1 to SN andthe data lines D1 to DM may have bending portions even in the effectivedisplay area 510.

According to the above-described embodiment, the scan lines S1 to SN andthe data lines D1 to DM are routed to correspond to the shapes of thedisplay unit 500 and the effective display area 510, thereby reducingdead spaces.

FIGS. 3A to 3C schematically illustrate embodiments of the display unitand the driving circuit connected thereto. In the embodiments shown inFIGS. 3A to 3C, the display unit may be a display panel.

Referring to FIGS. 3A to 3C, the shapes of the display unit 500 and/orthe effective display area 510 may be variously modified. For example,as shown in FIG. 3A, the display unit 500 and the effective display area510 may both have circular shapes. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG.3B, the display unit 500 and the effective display area 510 may haveshapes different from each other. In some embodiments, at least one ofthe effective display area 510 and a dummy area 520 may be divided intoplural areas in the display unit 500. For example, as shown in FIG. 3C,the display unit 500 may include a plurality of dummy areas 520separated by an effective display area 510 interposed therebetween.

Thus, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the shapes of thedisplay unit 500, the effective display area 510, and the dummy area 520are not particularly limited, and may be freely modified. Accordingly,the display devices according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure may be applied to not only mobile phones, televisions,monitors, and the like but also various types of information displaydevices such as electronic watches and dashboards.

Meanwhile, in some embodiments, at least one of the timing controller200, the scan driver 300, and the data driver 400, which are describedabove, may be formed together with the pixels 514 in the display unit500, or may be mounted in the form of a semiconductor chip on thedisplay unit 500. Alternatively, in some embodiments, at least one ofthe timing controller 200, the scan driver 300, and the data driver 400may be mounted on a first circuit board 600 and integrated in the formof a semiconductor chip 610 to be connected to the display unit 500. Insome embodiments, the first circuit board 600 may be a flexible circuitboard electrically connected to the display unit 500. In someembodiments, the display unit 500 and/or the first circuit board 600 maybe electrically connected to the system 100 through a second circuitboard 700, thereby communicating with the system 100.

FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of the timing controller. FIGS. 5A and5B illustrate an embodiment of a data conversion method of the timingcontroller. For convenience, a method for converting line data for onehorizontal line has been illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B, but the presentdisclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the timing controllermay convert data in units of frame data for one frame.

Referring to FIG. 4, the timing controller 200 according to theembodiment of the present disclosure includes a control signal generator210, a memory 220, and a data converter 230.

The control signal generator 210 generates a scan control signal SCS anda data control signal DCS in response to various control signals CS fromthe system 100, and outputs the scan control signal SCS and the datacontrol signal DCS to the scan driver 300 and the data driver 400,respectively. In some embodiments, the control signals CS may include ahorizontal synchronization signal and a vertical synchronization signal.In some embodiments, the scan control signal SCS may include a gatestart pulse and a gate shift clock. In some embodiments, the datacontrol signal DCS may include a source start pulse, a source shiftclock, and a source output enable signal.

The memory 220 stores information on the effective display area 510. Forexample, the memory 220 may store position information of the pixels 514arranged in the effective display area 510.

In FIG. 4, the memory 220 is configured inside the timing controller200, but the position of the memory 220 is not particularly limited. Forexample, the memory 220 may be provided anywhere outside of the timingcontroller 200.

The data converter 230 generates second data Data2 by converting firstdata Data1 from the system 100 to correspond to the effective displayarea 510, and outputs the generated second data Data2 to the data driver400. To this end, the data converter 230 may convert the first dataData1 into the second data Data2 with reference to information on theshape of effective display area 510 stored in the memory 220. Inaddition, the data converter 230 may include at least one frame memory(not shown) and/or at least one line memory (not shown) to store thefirst data Data1 and the second data Data2.

In some embodiments, the data converter 230 may extract, from the firstdata Data1, first line data corresponding to each horizontal line of thedisplay unit 500. After that, the data converter 230 arranges the firstline data to correspond to each of the pixels 514 arranged in theeffective display area 510. Also, the data converter 230 converts datacorresponding to each of the second unit areas 522 arranged in the dummyarea 520 into gray level data (e.g., digital gray level data)corresponding to a preset specific voltage (e.g., a first voltage), andarranges the gray level data at data positions corresponding to thecorresponding second unit areas 522, thereby generating a second linedata. That is, the second line data may be data obtained by convertingthe first line data of each horizontal line according to the number ofpixels 514 arranged on the corresponding horizontal line and theposition thereof.

For example, when assuming that a total of nine unit areas 512 and 522are provided on the first horizontal line 532, two unit areas at each ofthe left and right sides are second unit areas 522, and the other unitareas are first unit areas 512. The data converter 230 may convert firstline data LD11 corresponding to the first horizontal line 532 intosecond line data LD12 as shown in FIG. 5A. That is, the data converter230 may dispose predetermined data DSx at positions of data a1, b1, h1,and i1 corresponding to the second unit areas 522 regardless of valuesof the corresponding data a1, b1, h1, and i1, and align data c1, d1, e1,f1, and g1 corresponding to the first unit areas 512 at correspondingdata positions, thereby generating the second line data LD12.

In some embodiments, the first line data LD11 and the second line dataLD12 may be digital data. For example, the data c1, d1, e1, f1, and g1(i.e., pixel data) corresponding to the first unit areas 512 and thepredetermined data DSx corresponding to the second unit areas 522 mayall be digital data having digital values.

Meanwhile, the data converter 230, as shown in FIG. 5B, may omit aprocess of replacing some data with the predetermined data DSx for lineshaving no second unit areas 522. For lines having as many pixels 514 asthe number of the data lines D1 to DM, the data converter 230 alignsfirst line data LD21 including data a2, b2, c2, d2, e2, f2, g2, h2, andi2 corresponding to the first unit areas 512, at positions of thecorresponding data a2, b2, c2, d2, e2, f2, g2, h2, and i2, therebygenerating second line data LD22. The data converter 230 sequentiallytransmits, to the data driver 400, the second line data LD12 or LD22corresponding to each horizontal line. For example, the data converter230 may transmit, to the data driver 400, the second line data LD12 orLD22 for every data transmission period corresponding to thecorresponding horizontal period.

From the viewpoint of driving of one frame, the data converter 230 maygenerate second data Data2 for one frame from first data Data1 for oneframe. For example, the data converter 230 may extract effective datacorresponding to the first unit areas 512 from the first data Data1 forone frame, and then arrange the effective data at data positionscorresponding to the respective pixels 514 of the first unit areas 512,and arrange predetermined data DSx corresponding to the first voltage atdata positions corresponding to the second unit areas 522, therebygenerating the second data Data2 for one frame. The second data Data2for one frame, generated by the data converter 230, is transmitted tothe data driver 400. Then, the data driver 400 generates a data signalfor the pixels 514 arranged on each horizontal line using the secondline data, e.g. LD12 or LD22, for each horizontal line. The generateddata signal is output to the data lines D1 to Dm during thecorresponding horizontal period.

FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of a driving signal for one frame,transmitted from the timing controller to the data driver. FIG. 7illustrates an embodiment of a method for transmitting channelinformation on the effective display area.

Referring to FIG. 6, for signal transmission periods HP1 to HPN fordriving each horizontal line during one frame 1F, the timing controller200 transmits, to the data driver 400, protocol and second data Data2for driving the corresponding horizontal line. In some embodiments,second line data of each horizontal line included in the second dataData2 may be sequentially output during one frame 1F. In someembodiments, the second line data of each horizontal line may includeeffective data DS13 to DSN7 on pixels 514 of the correspondinghorizontal line, and/or predetermined specific data DSx on second unitareas 522 of the corresponding horizontal line. In some embodiments, ahorizontal blank period, in which horizontal blank data is transmitted,may be disposed just after the second line data of each horizontal lineis applied.

Meanwhile, in some embodiments, the timing controller 200 may allowinformation on an effective display area 510 of the correspondinghorizontal line to be included in the protocol, and transmit theprotocol to the data driver 400. For example, for each horizontal line,the timing controller 200 may transmit, to the data driver 400, channelinformation corresponding to the point on the corresponding horizontalline at which the effective display area 510 begins, and channelinformation corresponding to the point on the corresponding horizontalline at which the effective display area 510 ends. The data driver 400,having received information on the effective display area 510, may usethe information to implement various functions. That is, the informationon the effective display area 510 is transmitted to the data driver 400,so that the function of the data driver 400 may be diversified.

In some embodiments, when a horizontal line of the effective displayarea 510 is divided into a plurality of sections, the timing controller200 may transmit, to the data driver 400, channel informationcorresponding to start and end points of each section. For example, whenthe effective display area 510 is divided into first and second sectionsSEC1 and SEC2 on Kth (K is a natural number of N or less) horizontalline HLK as shown in FIG. 7, the timing controller 200 may allow firststart channel information, first end channel information, second startchannel information, and second end channel information to be includedin the protocol, and transmit the protocol to the data driver 400. Here,the first start channel information corresponds to a start point SP1 ofthe first section SEC1, the first end channel information corresponds toan end point EP1 of the first section SEC1, the second start channelinformation corresponds to a start point SP2 of the second section SEC2,and the second end channel information corresponds to an end point EP2of the second section SEC2.

FIG. 8 illustrates an embodiment of the data driver. For convenience, anMth data driver channel connected to an Mth data line is illustrated inFIG. 8. That is, the data driver may include M channels corresponding tothe number of data lines, and one channel of the M channels isillustrated in FIG. 8.

Referring to FIG. 8, the data driver 400 according to the embodiment ofthe present disclosure may include a shift register 410, a samplinglatch 420, a holding latch 430, a digital-to-analog converter(hereinafter, referred to as a “DAC”) 440, and a buffer 450, which areprovided in each channel.

The shift register 410 supplies a sampling signal to the sampling latch420. For example, a plurality of shift registers 410 provided in thedata driver 400 may sequentially output M sampling signals whileshifting a source start pulse (not shown) for every one period of asource shift clock SSC.

The sampling latch 420 stores second data Data2 (e.g., image data of acorresponding pixel 514, included in the second data Data2) suppliedfrom the timing controller 200 in response to the sampling signal. Forexample, the sampling latch 420 may sequentially receive image datacorresponding to pixels 514 of each horizontal line connected to thecorresponding channel, and store the image data. The second data Data2corresponds to an image to be displayed on the display unit 500.Particularly, the second data Data2 may be image data converted tocorrespond to the effective display area 510.

The holding latch 430 receives the second data Data2 stored in thesampling latch 420 in response to a source output enable SOE signal. Theholding latch 430 stores the received second data Data2.

The DAC 440 generates an analog data signal corresponding to the seconddata Data2 supplied from the holding latch 430. For example, the DAC 440may convert the second data Data2 into an analog gray level voltage suchthat a gray level corresponding to the bit value of the digital seconddata Data2 supplied to the holding latch 430 may be implemented. To thisend, the DAC 440 may be connected to a gamma driver (not shown).

The buffer 450 supplies the data signal supplied from the DAC 440 to adata line DM connected to the corresponding channel.

According to the above-described operation, the data driver 400supplies, to the data lines D1 to DM, a data signal corresponding to thesecond data Data2.

In some embodiments, during the above-described period in which a datasignal corresponding to the first horizontal line 532 is supplied to thedata lines D1 to DM, the data driver 400 outputs a data signalcorresponding to an image to be actually displayed on the display unit500 through I channels corresponding to I pixels 514 connected to thefirst horizontal line 532. The data driver 400 simultaneously outputs adata signal having a predetermined first voltage through the other oneor more channels that are not connected to the pixels 514 of the firsthorizontal line 532. Meanwhile, during a period in which a data signalcorresponding to the second horizontal line 534 (having M pixels 514) issupplied to the data lines D1 to DM, the data driver 400 outputs a datasignal through all M channels.

As described in FIGS. 1 to 8, each of the display devices according tothe embodiments of the present disclosure includes a number of pixels514 that is smaller than the total number of unit areas 512 and 522corresponding to the intersections of the scan lines S1 to SN and thedata lines D1 to DM. That is, the unit areas 512 and 522 correspondingto the intersections of the scan lines S1 to SN and the data lines D1 toDM may be configured with first unit areas 512 arranged in the effectivedisplay area 510, and second unit areas 522 arranged in the dummy area520 around the effective display area 510. In this case, the displayunit 500 may include at least one horizontal line (e.g., a firsthorizontal line 532) on which the number of pixels 514 is smaller thanthe number of data lines D1 to DM.

From the viewpoint of driving of each horizontal line, e.g., the firsthorizontal line 532, a method of driving the display device according toembodiments of the present disclosure includes a step of receiving, fromthe system 100, first data Data1 including image data of the respectiveunit areas 512 and 522 corresponding to all intersections of the scanlines S1 to SN and the data lines D1 to DM, a step of extracting firstline data LD11 corresponding to the first horizontal line 532 from thefirst data Data1, a step of generating second line data LD12 byreplacing, with predetermined data DSx, the data corresponding to secondunit areas 522, a step of outputting the second line data LD12 to thedata driver 400, a step of generating a data signal corresponding to thesecond line data LD12, and a step of driving the pixels 514 of the firsthorizontal line 532 by supplying the generated data signal to the datalines D1 to DM.

In some embodiments, in the step of generating the second line dataLD12, the data corresponding to second unit areas 522 may becollectively replaced with digital data DSx corresponding to apredetermined first voltage.

From the viewpoint of driving of one frame for implementing one screen,a method of driving the display device according to the embodiment ofthe present disclosure includes a step of receiving, from the system100, first data Data1 for one frame, including image data of all of thefirst and second unit areas 512 and 522 corresponding to theintersections of the scan lines S1 to SN and the data lines D1 to DM, astep of reading effective data (data to be used to display an actualimage) corresponding to the first unit areas 512 among the first dataData1, and generating second data Data2 by replacing the other databesides the effective data with predetermined data DSx, a step ofgenerating line data LD12 or LD22 corresponding to each horizontal lineof the effective display area 510 from the second data Data2, and a stepof driving pixels 514 arranged on each horizontal line using the linedata LD12 or LD22.

In some embodiments, in the step of generating the second data Data2,the other data besides the effective data may be collectively replacedwith digital data DSx corresponding to a predetermined first voltage. Insome embodiments, an operation of converting first data Data1 for oneframe into second data Data2 for that frame may be performed inside thetiming controller 200, e.g., the data converter 230.

In some embodiments, the second data Data2 for one frame may betransmitted to the data driver 400. Then, the data driver 400 may sorteach line data LD12 or LD22 and generate a corresponding data signal foreach horizontal line. The data signals generated by the data driver 400may be output to the data lines D1 to DM during the correspondinghorizontal period.

In a display device and driving method thereof according to theembodiments of the present disclosure, data may be more efficientlytransmitted corresponding to the effective display area 510.Accordingly, the power consumption of the display device may beeffectively reduced.

In some embodiments, the timing controller 200 may transmit, to the datadriver 400, position information of the effective display area 510corresponding to the first horizontal line 532 before the timingcontroller 200 transmits, to the data driver 400, the second line dataLD12 corresponding to the first horizontal line 532. Meanwhile, from theviewpoint of driving of one frame, the timing controller 200 maytransmit the position information of the effective display area 510 tothe data driver 400 before the timing controller 200 transmits thesecond data Data2 for one frame to the data driver 400. In someembodiments, the position information of the effective display area 510may include channel information corresponding to the points at which theeffective display area 510 begins and ends on each horizontal line. Theposition information of the effective display area 510, transmitted tothe data driver 400 may be used, for example, to diversify the functionof data driver 400.

In a display device and driving method thereof according to the presentdisclosure, data is efficiently transmitted corresponding to the shapeof the effective display area 510, thereby reducing power consumed bythe driving circuit.

Example embodiments have been disclosed herein, and although specificterms are employed, they are used and are to be interpreted in a genericand descriptive sense only and not for purpose of limitation. In someinstances, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art asof the filing of the present application, features, characteristics,and/or elements described in connection with a particular embodiment maybe used singly or in combination with features, characteristics, and/orelements described in connection with other embodiments unless otherwisespecifically indicated. Accordingly, it will be understood by those ofskill in the art that various changes in form and details may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure asset forth in the following claims. Various features of the abovedescribed and other embodiments can be mixed and matched in any manner,to produce further embodiments consistent with the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A display device comprising: a display unitincluding: scan lines, data lines, unit areas corresponding tointersections of the scan lines and the data lines, the unit areasincluding first unit areas in an effective display area, second unitareas in a dummy area around the effective display area, some of thesecond unit areas being smaller than the first unit areas, and pixels inthe first unit areas; a timing controller configured to receive firstdata including image data corresponding to the first and second unitareas, the timing controller further configured to convert the firstdata into second data corresponding to the effective display area, andto output the second data; and a data driver configured to generate adata signal that corresponds to the second data, and to supply the datasignal to the data lines, wherein the display unit includes a firsthorizontal line having fewer pixels than the number of the data lines,and wherein, during a first horizontal period corresponding to the firsthorizontal line, the data signal that corresponds to the second data isapplied to data lines connected to the pixels of the first horizontalline, and a predetermined first voltage is applied to the other datalines.
 2. The display device of claim 1, wherein at least some of thescan lines and data lines, which are arranged in the dummy area, havebent portions that extend in nonlinear manner to correspond to an edgeof the effective display area.
 3. The display device of claim 1, whereinthe display unit includes a plurality of dummy areas positioned with theeffective display area interposed therebetween.
 4. The display device ofclaim 1, wherein the timing controller includes: a memory configured tostore position information of the pixels; and a data converterconfigured to convert the first data into the second data with referenceto the position information stored in the memory.
 5. The display deviceof claim 4, wherein the data converter is further configured to generatesecond line data corresponding to each horizontal line by: extractingfirst line data corresponding to each horizontal line of the displayunit from the first data, arranging the first line data in an ordercorresponding to the positions of the pixels of the each horizontalline, and arranging predetermined data at positions corresponding tosecond unit areas of the each horizontal line, the predetermined datacorresponding to the first voltage.
 6. The display device of claim 4,wherein the data converter is further configured to generate the seconddata by: extracting effective data corresponding to the first unit areasfrom the first data, arranging the effective data at data positionscorresponding to the first unit areas, and arranging predetermined dataat data positions corresponding to the second unit areas, thepredetermined data corresponding to the first voltage.
 7. The displaydevice of claim 1, wherein the timing controller is further configuredto transmit, to the data driver, channel information comprising, foreach of the horizontal lines included in the display unit, a position atwhich the effective display area begins and a point at which theeffective display area ends.
 8. The display device of claim 1, whereinthe display unit further includes a second horizontal line having anumber of the pixels equal to the number of the data lines.
 9. Thedisplay device of claim 8, wherein the display unit includes at leastthree horizontal lines each having a number of pixels different fromthose of each of the others of the at least three horizontal lines. 10.The display device of claim 1, wherein the first voltage is a lowestvoltage of gray level voltages generated by the data driver.
 11. Adisplay device comprising: a data driver including M (where M is anatural number greater than or equal to 2) channels connected to M datalines; and a display unit including a first horizontal line having I(where I is a natural number smaller than M) pixels, wherein, during aperiod in which a data signal corresponding to the first horizontal lineis supplied to the data lines, the data driver is configured to output adata signal corresponding to an image through I channels correspondingto the I pixels, and is further configured to output a data signalhaving a predetermined first voltage through the remaining channels. 12.The display device of claim 11, wherein the first voltage is a lowestvoltage from among gray level voltages generated by the data driver. 13.The display device of claim 11, wherein the display unit furtherincludes a second horizontal line having M pixels.
 14. The displaydevice of claim 13, wherein, during a period in which a data signalcorresponding to the second horizontal line is supplied to the datalines, the data driver is further configured to output a data signalcorresponding to the image through the M channels.
 15. A method ofdriving a display device including a display unit having a plurality ofscan lines, a plurality of data lines, and a first horizontal line onwhich are arranged a number of pixels that is smaller than the number ofthe data lines, the method comprising: receiving first data includingimage data for every unit area that corresponds to an intersection ofthe scan lines and the data lines; extracting first line datacorresponding to the first horizontal line from the first data;generating second line data corresponding to the first horizontal lineby replacing, with predetermined data, all remaining first line databesides that corresponding to the pixels of the first horizontal line;outputting the second line data to a data driver; generating a datasignal corresponding to the second line data; and driving the pixels ofthe first horizontal line by supplying the data signal to the datalines.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the predetermined data isdigital data corresponding to a predetermined first voltage.
 17. Themethod of claim 16, wherein the first voltage is a lowest voltage fromamong gray level voltages of the display unit.
 18. The method of claim15, further comprising, before the outputting, transmitting, to the datadriver, position information of the effective display area correspondingto the first horizontal line.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein theposition information includes channel information corresponding to apoint on the first horizontal line at which the effective display areabegins, and a point on the first horizontal line at which the effectivedisplay area ends.
 20. A method for driving a display device including adisplay unit having scan lines, data lines, first unit areas in aneffective display area and corresponding to intersections of the scanlines and the data lines, and second unit areas in a dummy area aroundthe effective display area, the method comprising: receiving first dataincluding image data for all of the first and second unit areas;generating second data by reading effective data, the effective databeing that first data corresponding to the first unit areas, and byreplacing the remaining first data besides the effective data withpredetermined data; generating, from the second data, line datacorresponding to each horizontal line of the effective display area; anddriving pixels on each horizontal line using the line data.
 21. Themethod of claim 20, wherein the predetermined data is digital datacorresponding to a predetermined first voltage.
 22. The method of claim21, wherein the first voltage is a lowest voltage from among gray levelvoltages of the display unit.
 23. The method of claim 20, furthercomprising transmitting position information of the effective displayarea to a data driver.
 24. The method of claim 23, wherein the positioninformation of the effective display area includes channel informationcorresponding to a point at which the effective display area begins oneach horizontal line, and channel information corresponding to a pointat which the effective display area ends on each horizontal line.